Chapter 2: Goodbye
~oOo~
"Seeing Spencer was great!" Zoe said, driving away from the B.A.U. to their new apartment.
"Yeah, but he forgot something." Cornelia said in disappointment. "My 16th birthday. Which is today."
"Oh, sweetheart." Zoe took Cornelia's hand in hers. Cornelia let a single tear escape her eyes. Zoe pulled into the parking space in front of the apartment. Cornelia started to cry even more. Ever since Zoe could remember Spencer sent Cornelia something for her birthday, and Zoe knew that it was that he didn't give her something, because Cornelia had never cared about the material things, it was the fact he didn't say anything. Zoe slowly got out of the car, and shut the door so Cornelia could cry in peace. Zoe then, fast as lighting, whipped out her phone and dialed Spencer's number. It rang twice before he picked up.
"Hey Zo!" he answer cheerfully.
"Hey kid." She answered, not as cheerfully, "Spencer, I think you forgot to tell Cornie something." Spencer was quiet for a moment. Suddenly there was a large gasp on the other end on the line.
" Oh… My… God! I forgot her birthday!" Spencer exclaimed, his voice in a mixture of panic and guilt.
"Ding, ding, ding we have a winner!" Zoe replied, letting as much acid seep into her voice as she could. "She is sitting in the car bawling. You might want to call her."
"Oh gosh! I feel awful!"
"Tell her that." She snapped, "I'm gonna start unpacking. Call her."
"The second we hang up." He replied.
"Okay. Bye kid."
"Bye."
"Hey"
"Yeah?"Spencer asked.
"Love you."
"Love you too, Zo." he replied. She smiled to herself. Zoe heard a click on the other end, and hung up. She started toward to door and unlocked it. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her. She walked into the living room and paused. She wanted to take this moment in. She finally had the feeling of security. She no longer had to walk into her house and fear her husband. No longer had fear for her daughter's life. For her own life. She could finally feel safe in her in her own home.
"Ciao la mia bella amante." Zoe's blood ran cold. She felt the color drain from her face. She knew that voice. Before she could turn around, something hard hit her in the back of her head. A icy pain shot from her neck. Then suddenly, everything went black.
~oOo~
Spencer dialed as fast as could. It rang three times, each time he became more, and more anxious. A sobbing girl picked up the phone.
"H-h-hello?" she stammered.
"Hey Cornie, its Spencer." Hearing her cry made him feel even worse. He hated to hear her cry. "Honey I am so sorry. I totally forgot." She calmed down a little.
It's ok. It's not like you meant to." She sniffled, making him feel even worse.
"I owe you a huge apology, so how bout dinner and a movie tonight? Anything you want to eat, any movie you want to see on me."
"Sounds good." She giggled, he instantly felt better.
"So, see you at six sharp?"
"Sure." She replied, "Stay on the phone so I can tell mom the plan."
"Okay." Spencer smiled to himself. So far today has been perfect. No cases, the sun was shining brilliantly, and he is going to spend the evening with his favorite 16-year-old.
"You still there Spence?" she asked.
""Yeah." He replied, startled a little by the abrupt ending to his daze. He then realized what she had called him. Spence. That makes 3 people in the world that called him "Spence". JJ, his godson Henry, and Cornie. Suddenly he heard a sharp gasp from Cornelia's end. There was someone else there. Someone Cornelia was scared enough of to say nothing.
"Ciao mia figlia bella." The other person, a man, said. Spencer's heart stopped. It was as if the Earth had stopped revolving. He knew that voice. He heard a loud thud, and a muffled cry. "Why hello, Spencer. How have you been." Spencer said nothing. "Well things are about to get worse for you, Zoe, and Cornelia. See you soon." Spencer couldn't move, speak, or even breathe. His perfect day was becoming his worst nightmare. "Ciao." Said the voice. Just before the line went dead he heard the most horrible, terrifying, blood-curdling scream he had ever heard.
"Cornelia."
~oOo~
Zoe woke to the sight of Cornelia, gagged, and bound to a stool. She was unconscious, and there was something red in her hair. Blood.
"Leave her alone you bastard! It's me you want! Leave her out of this!" She tried to stand, but her arms and legs were tied together with zip ties.
"This has everything to do with her as it does you!" a voice boomed. A man got in Zoe's face. His crystal blue eyes shimmering with rage, hatred, and sinister excitement. The sun kissed skin of his face was streaked with bloody scratches. His mahogany hair was matted and stringy, making him look wild. His chapped and bloody lips spread into to a crooked smile, making him look insane. She knew his face. She knew his voice. It was her husband, Cornelia's father. He was Phobos DiLuci. "You get to watch her suffer before you die." He laughed. Now Cornelia was awake. She saw the man and started trembling fiercely. Crystal tears fell from her milk chocolate eyes. She tried to scream, but the cloth gag was to tight, and thick for sound to escape it. She began to cry harder. Phobos turned from Zoe to Cornelia. He took a hand full of Cornelia's hair and yanked her head back. Cornelia screamed again, in pain, fear, and vain. "Are you ready to feel pain like you have never felt?" He whispered, exposing his yellow, cracked teeth. He let go of her hair and pulled a knife out of the back pocket of his dirty blue jeans. He took the knife and cut the back of Cornelia's shirt open, exposing the skin. Phobos, still smiling wickedly turned to his ex wife. "She is your little angel, yes?"he asked. At this point Zoe was crying. "Well let's make her look like one." A nails-against-a-blackboard scream was audible from Cornelia's lips, tears rushed down her face as her father started to carve shapes into her back.
~oOo~
Spencer was in the passenger's seat of a black SUV, its sirens wailing.
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Spencer exclaimed, his voice shaking. He felt a hand on his shoulder from the backseat.
"We'll get to them in time." JJ assured him. Derek was jerking, and turning the steering wheel wildly, weaving through traffic.
"We'll be there in 5 minutes." Derek said.
"A lot can happen in 5 minutes." Spencer replied, biting his lower lip until it was bloody.
~oOo~
Cornelia breathed heavily, no longer able to scream. Phobos smiled, admiring his gruesome work. Zoe could do nothing, but lay there, bound, on the ground. The white carpet was forever stained with crimson blood. Cornelia's blood.
"You son of a bitch! She's just a child!" Zoe screamed hoarsely.
"You said she was your angel, I just gave the appearance of one." He sneered. He picked up the stool and turned Cornelia around so her back was facing Zoe. When Phobos stepped away, Zoe couldn't rip her eyes from the horrid sight before her. Two bloody shapes were carved into Cornelia's back. After a moment Zoe realized what they were. Tears flowed painfully from her eyes. The shapes were angel wings. They weren't deep enough to make her lose so much blood that it would eventually kill her, but deep enough that they would make ugly scars. "Do you see? I made her an angel." Phobos laughed even harder than he was.
"Just let her go. Leave her alone." Zoe demanded.
"No because she is the reason we didn't make it. She killed our relationship!"
"No you did!" Zoe screamed, "You beat her every day! You had me living in terror! I couldn't take it anymore! So I left! It was your fault, Phobos, yours and yours alone!" Phobos' face turned red with rage. You pulled a revolver from his back pocket. He walked over to Cornelia, turned her around so she was facing her mother, and once again pulled her hair and yanked her head back, making her look at her mother. Cornelia's eyes flashed from the revolver to her mother , and realized what her father was about to do. She started to cry again. She screamed as loud she could, but she could not be heard, the gag still tied over her mouth. Phobos lowered mouth to Cornelia's ear.
"I will make you suffer, as I have suffered, knowing the love of my life had taken you and ran away from me." he whispered, " First, I'm going to kill her. Then, your beloved Spencer. Next, that boy you would sneak off with all time, Dmitri. After him, your brother, you'll know of him soon, I'm sure. And last, but not least, after everyone you love is dead, I'm going to kill you." Phobos then turned to Zoe. Cornelia screamed and cried as hard has she could. She was shaking violently, trying with all might to pull away from him. "Ciao, mi bella amante." Phobos said to Zoe. He pulled the trigger of the revolver, a loud bang, and a horrible scream filling the air.
~oOo~
As the SUV pulled in front of the apartment, Spencer was the first one out.
"Reid wait! " Derek called, but he couldn't. Knowing that they could be hurt or possibly… Spencer couldn't wait. He blew through the door like shot out of a gun. Spencer began frantically calling names.
"Zoe! Cornelia!" Spencer yelled, his voice echoing through the apartment. "Zoe! Cornelia!" Tears began to stream down his face. He turned toward the living room. Derek was standing in front of the doorway. He must have come in when Spencer was looking everywhere else. "Let me past." Spencer whispered, deathly calm.
"No. It's nothing you need to see."
"Morgan, please."
"No." In a almost a dream-like state ,somehow, he got past Morgan. Spencer nearly dropped to his knees. There was blood all over the floor, the crimson forever stained the pearl. Cornelia was tied to a stool, her shirt cut in the back, exposing her skin which was bloody and cut badly. He couldn't move. There was too much blood on the floor for her to still be alive. Suddenly, as if God had heard his thoughts of doubt, Cornelia's eyes fluttered open. Spencer ran to her. As he got closer he realized that there were shapes carved into her back. They were angel wings. He stopped again half way there. That's when Cornelia noticed he was in the room. She started to cry fiercely, tugging at her restraints. The more she pulled, the more the zip ties cut into her wrists. Spencer ran toward her again. He cut the zip ties on her arms and legs, and took off the gag.
"Spencer!" she hoarsely cried, falling into him. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to avoid the cuts on her back. Spencer looked around for something to cover her with, and found a blanket. He rocked her slowly, trying to hold back his own tears. Then Spencer remembered something.
"Zoe." He whispered. He looked around, and so did Cornelia, not remembering what had happened. A hoarse, terrified scream ripped through the silence and Spencer felt Cornelia crumple and go limp in his arms. His eyes fell on what Cornelia saw. Tears rushed from his eyes now. The horror of what he was seeing took away all his composure. "Oh God!" he screamed, "No! Please, no!" The tears took over him now, and only thing anyone could hear was the sound of a man in crying shear agony, and sound of two hearts breaking. For lying on the floor, in puddle of blood and blood staining her turquoise t-shirt, just over her heart, was Zoe DiLuci… Dead.